Dancing with Disease
A Memoir About Learning to Sway to a Different Beat
by
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By the time this doctor walked in, I had become slightly accustomed to the routine: being awoken in the middle of the night by a new patient coming in, the announcements over the PA system (was I in school?), the lab technicians (aka vampires) who would come for vials of blood first thing in the morning, because there is nothing like being woken by someone who wants to stick a needle in your arm. I had gotten used to anticipating the breakfast tray and loved the fact that no matter how bad things were, coffee made me feel normal. A routine in as little as 4 days; time moves in weird speeds when you’re in the hospital awaiting confirmation of your life sentence.
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About the Book
Dancing with Disease is the story of a woman diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease just when she is starting to feel grounded in life. As a new mother she must find courage in moments of intense fear and unknowing.
Instead of trying to understand the intricacies of a complex illness, she turns to her guideposts: motherhood, marriage and fitness.
Her healing process is complicated by a new career as a teacher that is ever-changing, on top of symptoms that appear seemingly out of nowhere.
This is a story of resilience, and of learning to sway to a beat you never chose, but grow to appreciate.
About the Author
Gerry Ugalde is a lifelong lover of physical activity and the outdoors. As a mother, wife and teacher, she uses the healing powers of fresh air and movement to help the people in her circle balance their days. After the first few years of living with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (Wegener’s Disease), a form of Vasculitis, Gerry created her own formula to manage chronic illness so she can live life on her terms. When not teaching high school, she is either swimming with her sons or cycling with her husband and friends.